on September 15, 1821. It was not long
before the new states, particularly El Salvador, had to contend with
attempted annexation by another large power in the form of an
independent Mexico under self-proclaimed Emperor Agustin de Iturbide. A
Mexican force dispatched by Iturbide succeeded in bringing to heel the
uncooperative Salvadorans, but only briefly. When the emperor himself
fell from power in 1823, his dream of a Central American empire died
with him. The five states of El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras,
Nicaragua, and Costa Rica went on to establish themselves as the United
Provinces of Central America on July 1, 1823.

The United Provinces, unworkable though they proved to be,
constituted the only successful political union of the Central American
states in the postcolonial era. Many optimistic residents of the region
no doubt held high hopes for this new nation at its inception. Their
sentiments were expressed elegantly, though ironically--given the
subsequent course of events--by the liberator of South America, Simon
Bolivar, who expounded in 1815 on the prospects for such a federation:

This magnificent location between the two great oceans could in time
become the emporium of the world. Its canals will shorten the distances
throughout the world, strengthen commercial ties with Europe, America,
and Asia, and bring that happy region tribute from the four quarters of
the globe. Perhaps some day the capital of the world may be located
there, just as Constantine claimed Byzantium was the capital of the
ancient world.

Unfortunately for those of Bolivar's idealistic inclinations, the
Central American Federation was not immune to the conflict between
liberals and conservatives that afflicted nineteenthcentury Latin
America as a whole. Generally speaking, the liberals were more open to
foreign ideas (particularly from the United States, France, and
Britain); they welcomed foreign investment and participation in a
laissez-faire process of economic development; and they sought to limit
the influence of the Roman Catholic Church over the lives of the people.
The conservatives' inclinations were almost diametrically opposed to
those of the liberals. Conservatives were generally more xenophobic;
they advocated more protectionist economic policies; and they championed
the traditional role of the church as the predominant moral arbiter and
preserver of the social and political status quo.

Split by the dichotomy between liberals and conservatives, the United
Provinces never functioned as the unified national unit envisioned by
its founders. Control of the federal government passed from liberal to
conservative hands in 1826, only to be restored to the liberal faction
under the leadership of the Honduran Francisco Morazan in 1829. Neither
faction, however, was able to assert federal control over all five
Central American states. Therefore, although the liberal governments
enacted political, economic, and social reforms, they were never able to
implement them effectively. The period of the United Provinces was thus
one of Central American polarization impelled by deep divisions among
the populace, not the unification originally anticipated by idealists.

El Salvador was a stronghold of liberal sentiment. Most Salvadorans,
therefore, supported the rule of Morazan, who served as president of the
federation from 1829 to 1840 when he was not leading forces in the field
against the conservative followers of Rafael Carrera of Guatemala. In
the waning days of liberal rule, San Salvador served as Morazan's last
bastion. Unable to stem the tide of conservative backlash, the liberal
forces fell to those of Carrera in March 1840. Morazan died before a
firing squad in September 1842.

The almost unceasing violence that attended the effort to unite
Central America into one federated nation led the leaders of the five
states to abandon that effort and declare their independence as separate
political entities. El Salvador did so in January 1841. Although their
destinies would remain intertwined and they would intervene in each
other's affairs routinely in the years to come, the countries of Central
America would from that time function as fragmented and competitive
ministates readily exploitable by foreign powers.

Please note: This text comes from the Country Studies Program, formerly the Army Area Handbook Program. The Country Studies Series presents a description and analysis of the historical setting and the social, economic, political, and national security systems and institutions of countries throughout the world.

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